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It appears that Series 24 of Top Gear has avoided the ratings plummet that plagued the Chris Evans-fronted Series 23, with newly released viewer figures painting a more positive picture overall.

An average of 2.7 million people tuned in to watch Top Gear Series 24 Episode 2, which is just 100,000 less than Episode 1. Although the figures are lower overall, Top Gear Series 23 lost 1.6 million viewers between Episodes 1 & 2, when it fell from 4.4 million to 2.8 million, before falling even further.

While Series 24’s ratings are certainly encouraging so far, the figures are a far cry from what Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May used to manage – with episodes from their last series regularly reaching over 6 million people. But perhaps it is a sign that viewers have liked what they’ve seen from Top Gear this time around, and are prepared to give the show a second chance.

Road safety charity Break are calling for a review of speed limits on rural single-carriageway roads as a report is released revealing that drivers don’t feel safe travelling at the default 60mph speed limit.